With the start of the free agency now about a week and a half away, the New England Patriots made the first major move by slapping the franchise tag on free-agent-to-be Vince Wilfork.

It means the Patriots will pay their star nose tackle a salary of $7,003,000 in 2010 to stay in New England. Wilfork and his agent (Kennard McGuire, who also reps Brandon Marshall) can talk to other teams about a deal, but according to Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald, any team that tries to lure Wilfork away would have to give New England two first-round draft picks.

Wilfork is among the league’s elite nose tackles, sure, but that is probably too high a price for any team to pay. The Patriots and Wilfork are more likley to use the franchise tag as just part of the process of working on a new long-term contract.

It has so far been a quiet February in terms of franchise tags, with few teams using the mechanism to prevent movement of their unrestricted free agents. The Broncos, for example, have no high-profile unrestricted free agents worthy of paying the high price to keep. The Broncos’ UFAs are P Mitch Berger, S Vernon Fox, T Brandon Gorin, LB Nick Greisen, G Ben Hamilton, G Russ Hochstein, DE Vonnie Holliday, CB Ty Law and WR Brandon Lloyd.

What will be far more interesting to watch is how teams — especially the Broncos — use the tendering process on their restricted free agents (assuming no new collective bargaining agreement is completed in the next 10 days). For the Broncos, that list is far more interesting: OLB Elvis Dumervil, G Chris Kuper, WR Brandon Marshall, QB Kyle Orton, TE Tony Scheffler and DE Le Kevin Smith.

With Law out, the team will again rely on rookies Tony Carter and Alphonso Smith in the nickel and dime packages. Carter replaced Law last week, but Smith also saw some time at nickel after Carter — who was playing in his first game — left with muscle cramps.

Three rookies will see signficant playing time with Hill, Buckhalter and Law out. Safety David Bruton is expected to get his first start — and first real defensive playing time — of his career in place of Hill; Knowshon Moreno will be the primary tailback without Buckhalter to share carries with; and Alphonso Smith will be the nickel corner back.

Rookie corner Tony Carter, signed off the practice squad on Saturday, is active for the first time in his career; as is veteran safety Vernon Fox, who re-signed with the team on Monday.

Vernon Fox had a couple of errands and chores to take care of Sunday afternoon at his Las Vegas home, and when he got around to checking his his cell phone, he saw several missed calls and an email, all from the Broncos.

They wanted to ask Fox several things: Had he been working out? What sort of shape was he in? Would he be interested in coming back to the Broncos?

The answers: Yes, good, and yes.

A short time later, Fox was at the airport, and by Sunday night, he had landed in Denver. He worked out for coaches on Monday morning and then signed a contract when the team placed rookie safety Darcel McBath on the injured reserve with a broken forearm.

Fox spent the rest of the day in meetings with his teammates and participated in the group run along with everyone else.

“I didn’t expect things to happen so fast,” Fox said.

Fox and the Broncos are hoping it will be a quick transition. Fox spent more than half of the 2008 season in Denver and was with the Broncos through the entire offseason. He was released on Sept. 5 at the end of training camp, so he’s familiar with the Broncos defense and special teams.

That familiarity — and the need for help on special teams right away — is probably why the Broncos moved so quickly to get in touch with Fox.

The Broncos on Monday placed rookie safety Darcel McBath, one of their three second-round picks, on the injured reserve list with a broken forearm.

McBath hurt the arm in the fourth quarter on Sunday’s loss at Indianapolis. He was playing defense in relief of starter Renaldo Hill, who had already left the game with a sprained ankle.

To replace McBath, the Broncos signed veteran Vernon Fox. Fox spent the second half of last season here in Denver and was with the team all through the preseason. He was among the players cut after the last preseason game and did not sign with another team.

Coach Josh McDaniels said Fox will have a chance to play this Sunday against Oakland, at least on special teams. McBath had held the role of “personal protector” on the punt team — responsible for communication and the last player to block for Mitch Berger — and Fox also played that position in the preseason.

McBath was also the team’s top reserve safety and had filled in at times for both Hill and Brian Dawkins. With Hill likely to be questionable for this week’s game, rookie David Bruton — expected to be back after missing the Colts game with a thigh injury — could see his first significant playing time.

“We might have to juggle a few other balls here and figure out exactly the best formula to work all those things in,” McDaniels said. “We try to do whatever is in the best interest of protecting the deep end of the field, we’ll need to get it done in the secondary with the guys that we have.”

The Broncos have (finally) released their official list of cuts to get the roster down to 53 players on the active roster.

Because the Broncos also added DE Vonnie Holliday, the team had to make an extra cut to get to the 53-man limit. The team also will have to make another roster move by Sunday to clear a spot on the active roster for Brandon Marshall, whose suspension is set to end Sept. 6.

I can’t help but think there’s going to be quite a letdown tonight at Invesco Field after Sunday’s mega-hyped game against Jay Cutler and the Bears. I’m thinking Matt Leinart and the Cardinals’ backups aren’t going to inspire the same sort of crowd frenzy.

But the 4th preseason game is an interesting one to watch, especially for football nerds (like me, and possibly you, too) because the Broncos (and all other teams) will slash their roster from 75 (or 76 if you count Brandon Marshall) to 53 by 2 p.m. Saturday. Who will make it? Who won’t? Who is headed to the practice squad? Who will be the surprise cut? Which under-the-radar guy will make? Which undrafted rookie will make it?

Let the fun begin.

Here’s a short list of guys to watch tonight. If they play, and play well, their chances go up of making the 53. If you don’t see them on the field, you may as well just tear out their page in the media guide now:

Running backs LaMont Jordan and Darius Walker: Jordan has been lackluster through the latter portion of the preseason, and missed the Chicago game with a minor injury. Walker is the team’s leading rusher in the preseason (all second-half yards). Both are well-liked, good locker room guys. But both won’t make the team.

Wide receivers Chad Jackson, Brandon Lloyd, Nate Swift and Matthew Willis: A couple of these are bubble guys (Jackson and Lloyd) and a couple are long shots (Swift and Willis). But receiver is such a question mark right now with all of the Brandon Marshall drama and Jabar Gaffney’s broken thumb, so there is room for someone else to impress.

Offensive linemen Matt McChesney an Kory Lichtensteiger: Both are firmly on the bubble, especially with the addition of Russ Hochstein last week. Hochstein plays both guard and center and is, obviously, a favorite of Josh McDaniels. Lichetensteiger, a center, was a 2008 draft pick by Mike Shanahan but it appears he might be expendable now.

Safeties Josh Barrett and Vernon Fox: Barrett, a second-year player, and Fox, a veteran, are both valuable special teams players. They are also the 5th and 6th safeties on defense. Do their special teams capabilities transcend lack of defensive playing time? Barrett injured his shoulder against Chicago, so we might not see him tonight.

Outside linebackers Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder: Neither has been able to crack the two-deep base defense, and that’s bad news for players who just two years ago were the team’s No. 1 and 2 overall draft picks. Crowder plays more on special teams than Moss does.

Defensive ends Matthias Askew, Nic Clemons and Everette Pedescleaus: The 3-4 defense means the team will keep fewer true defensive ends, so all three of these guys could end up cut by Saturday. But Marcus Thomas and Le Kevin Smith have been banged up recently, so perhaps one of them makes it for depth purposes.

Cornerbacks Jack Williams and Joshua Bell: How many diminutive corners will the team keep? Certainly Alphonso Smith is safe, which means Williams and Bell are in danger. Williams started camp in fantastic fashion but has been ailing in recent weeks and fallen completely off the radar.

At least one undrafted rookie has made the Broncos in each of the last five years. My pick for 2009 is DT Chris Baker (though I’m not really going out on a limb for that pick). Also watch LB Lee Robinson, who could sneak his way on via special teams.

Defensive end-turned-outside linebacker Jarvis Moss is again a no-show at training camp.

Moss, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2007, left the team on Saturday to contemplate his future in football.

Moss reported to camp on time on Thursday and participated fully in the first two full practices on Friday, even speaking to reporters after the first session about how his new position gave him a “brand new start” in Denver.

The other players not at practice Sunday morning are defensive lineman Nic Clemons and rookies Knowshon Moreno and Robert Ayers. Clemons suffered a serious knee injury Friday afternoon. He had to be driven off the field and was in obvious pain as he clutched his left knee. Moreno and Ayers, the team’s two first-round picks, remain unsigned.

Veteran safety Vernon Fox returned to practice after skipping Saturday’s workout. He is wearing a non-contact jersey and has his right ankle heavily taped. He limped off the field and into the locker room before the end of Friday’s evening session.

Veteran defensive players Champ Bailey, Marcus Thomas and Renaldo Hill made their 2009 practice debut Saturday afternoon. Not participating are safety Vernon Fox, who limped off the field during the Friday evening workout, and outside linebacker Jarvis Moss.

Bailey, Thomas and Hill had started training camp on the active-physically unable to perform list and missed both two-hour practices Friday. The trio was seen running sprints — and being timed — by the team’s training staff Friday night. Bailey, the team’s star left cornerback, and Hill, are projected starters in the secondary, while Thomas is competing for time on the defensive line.

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall is also back on the practice field, and smiling, after taking the Friday evening session off. He has written “Beast Ego” in black marker on the back of his white Broncos-issued shirt he is wearing under his shoulder pads and jersey.

DOVE VALLEY — Though most of the buzz through the media ranks on Friday morning was about the player who WASN’T at the Broncos’ Dove Valley headquarters, there was plenty of action going on with the players who were there.

– The special teams units practiced onside kicks and pooch punts, and “gunners” on punt coverage, like Alphonso Smith and David Bruton, practiced downing the ball just short of the goal line. Kicker Matt Prater also hit two long field goals in a drill simulating the final seconds of a game.

– 2008 draft picks, corner Jack Williams and safety Josh Barrett, continue to practice with the first-team nickel defense. That package also included Dumervil at linebacker with Ayers, and Reid as a down lineman with Peterson. On one snap, Williams got to Kyle Orton on a corner blitz and swatted the ball out of the quarterback’s hand. 2007 draft picks Jarvis Moss and Crowder each played with the second-team nickel, and Crowder — lined up as a down lineman in that package — snagged an interception off Chris Simms.

– The team lined up briefly in a traditional I-formation, with LaMont Jordan at tailback and Peyton Hillis at fullback. Good to know they can do that, though I would be it will be a rare sight come September.

– I heard “Sweet Child of Mine” by Guns and Roses coming from the practice field when I got out of my car an hour before practice started. Little did I know then it was a sign of things to come. In a welcome change (for me at least) from the previous regime, a full McDaniels practice includes plenty of music to simulate crowd noise. Friday’s playlist included “Eye of the Tiger”, “Crazy Train”, “Beat It”, “Born to Run”, “Live Your Life” and even the old “Monday Night Football” theme music.

– Right guard Chris Kuper was excused from practice to get married, and rookie Seth Olsen took all the first-team repetitions in his place. Kuper is one of the toughest players on the team (remember last year, when he played all training camp with a broken hand?), so it only made sense that his absence had something to do with his personal life. Kuper, like Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler, was part of the Broncos’ 2006 draft class, and a television reporter joking asked McDaniels after practice if Kuper, too, was holding out. “He might be nervous, but he’s not holding out,” McDaniels said, laughing.

The team will hold its final two practices of the offseason Saturday and Sunday.

Let’s take a minute to meet the next addition to the stable of running backs. Ladies and gentlemen: Cory Boyd. (That’s his official picture from the NFL Combine last spring.)

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Boyd is 6-foot-1 and listed by the Broncos at 218 pounds, though he could probably bulk up to the 225-pound range with a full NFL off-season program.

The first time I met Boyd was on Nov. 4, the day he was signed to the Broncos’ practice squad. He was sitting with Anthony Alridge in Alridge’s locker, going through the team’s playbook. Alridge — also a rookie, but one who has been with the Broncos since right after the 2008 draft — was giving Boyd plenty of advice, most of it about what running backs coach Bobby Turner was like and what Boyd would be asked to do in practice. The impression I got from Boyd that day was that he was just thrilled to be in Denver.

He told me then that he felt it was fate that he ended up with the Broncos — the first team that called him on draft day. Boyd said Mike Shanahan had told him that they couldn’t draft Boyd but that they wanted him to sign as a college free agent. Almost immediately after hanging up the phone, Tampa Bay called to draft Boyd in the seventh round (No. 238 overall. For comparison’s sake, Denver took Peyton Hillis at No. 231).

“Once I was drafted, I saw an impossible situation for me,” Boyd said. “My faith was not as strong as it is now.”

Boyd’s first few months as a pro were troublesome. He injured his left knee and needed surgery and was waived by the team before the start of training camp. Boyd said Monday that his knee is fine and that his overall health has improved thanks to a better diet.

Boyd’s promotion comes just a few days before the Broncos travel to play the Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., which is only about 100 miles from Columbia, S.C., where he spent five years. (One of those years, he spent away from football after being suspended for 2005 season by Steve Spurrier. He returned to the team for 2006 and 2007 and finished his college career with 2,267 rushing yardss and 1,303 receiving yards).

“It would be like a homecoming for me,” Boyd said of the possibility of dressing for the game this Sunday. “They know me there.”

So, what do you think? Does Boyd have what it takes to last the rest of the season at tailback? Can he supplant Tatum Bell and Selvin Young (if he ever gets healthy?)?

– In other, not Broncos-related news, check out this story from The New Yorker about scouting quarterbacks. The story is built around Mizzou QB Chase Daniel and his NFL potential. Not often that the New Yorker checks in with a sports piece, but when it does, it’s usually fantastic.

– Safety Calvin Lowry on Tuesday became the lastest Bronco safety to be released. Lowry started three games but was demoted after a poor performance against Atlanta. He was inactive against the Raiders two weeks ago and played only sparingly in against the Jets and Chiefs. Lowry’s departure can only mean good things for rookie Josh Barrett, who was tabbed to play one-on-one against Tony Gonzalez last Sunday. Mike Shanahan has been usually very reserved when talking about his safeties this year (understandable, considering the turnover and lackluster results), but he practically gushed about Barrett’s play. “He played very good, very good,” Shanahan said. “A few of the plays Tony got were in zone coverage, and when he did make a catch, Barrett was all over him, so I was very pleased with his first game and how he handled himself.”

– Was anyone else as impressed with Carolina as I was watching them Monday night. Yikes. In that story from the Charlotte Observer, Carolina coach John Fox called DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart “special.” We’ll check in Wednesday with more about the Panthers.

INVESCO FIELD — Greetings from Invesco Field at Mile High, though the weather outside makes it feel like we’re in South Florida and not the first Sunday in November in Colorado.

A couple of pregame notes:

– Rookie fullback Peyton Hillis has gotten his job back after being supplanted by Spencer Larsen for about a month.

– The Broncos have three players making their NFL debuts today: rookie RB Ryan Torain (No. 42), rookie CB Josh Bell (No. 34) and quarterback Darrell Hackney (No. 4). Torain is certain to play, especially with Selvin Young inactive. Bell is the team’s fourth cornerback and should play at least on special teams. Hackney is the least likely to play, and Bronco fans better hope he spends the whole afternoon holding a clip board.

– Keep an eye on Denver’s defense early. Despite all of its short comings, the defense has yet to allow a touchdown in the first quarter of a game this season.

On a personal note, this is a fun game for me since I recently moved back to Colorado after five years working for The Palm Beach Post. It’s been great to see some former colleagues and competitors. This is an interesting match-up for me, too, because the first NFL game I ever covered was between the Dolphins and Broncos in the 2005 season opener at Dolphin Stadium. I was 24 and was assigned to write a sidebar about the visiting Broncos, who had lost the game 34-10. The most memorable experience from that game was in the Broncos locker room afterward, when a grumpy Jake Plummer was quite snippy to a group of reporters, and me in particular when I asked about a failed possession (Denver had a first-down inside the 5 yard line and went with four straight Tatum Bell rushes but no touchdown).

Mike Klis has been with The Denver Post since 1998, after working 13 years with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Major League Baseball was Klis' initial passion. He started covering the Colorado Rockies after Coors Field was approved for construction in August 1990.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times. She has reported regularly on the Broncos since joining the staff.

A published author and award-winning journalist, Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for The Denver Post. He previously worked on the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winners of two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage.